Highlights:
Introducing Mark Jamison
Welcome to the International Informix Users Group (IIUG) Insider! Designed for IIUG members and Informix user group leaders, this publication contains timely and relevant information for the IBM Informix community.
Table of Contents
Editorial
My first edition as editor of the IIUG Insider was February 2005. It was issue 56. Informix 10 was just released. Informix was part of IBM Data Management conference with 3 tracks. IBM had Informix training courses. As editor, I had to choose from all the content sent to me.
Today, more than 20 years after. We are at issue 300. Informix still has the best technology. New versions are still released. But since IBM handed development and support to HCL, finding Informix content or Informix news is nearly impossible. We do however have great news. Mark Jamison is now the Informix Technical Product Manager at IBM. On behalf of the IIUG board and I’m sure that on behalf of the entire Informix community. I’m offering Mark a warm welcome.
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Insider Editor
IIUG Board of Directors
gary@iiug.org
Highlights
Introducing Mark Jamison
Welcome Back, Mark Jamison – Celebrating IBM’s Renewed Commitment to Informix
We are thrilled to welcome Mark Jamison back into the heart of the IBM Informix family. Starting as Technical Support Engineer with Informix Software in the mid‑1990s and now serving as the Informix Evangelist, Technical Product Manager, Mark brings more than three decades of experience across IBM’s data ecosystem. Mark comes with a Deep product expertise that has supported and shaped Informix deployments across major enterprise environments and holds deep familiarity with its architecture, performance tools, and overall best practices.
Mark’s return comes at a pivotal time when IBM is doubling down on its strategic investment in Informix as a strategic pillar of its hybrid cloud and AI strategy. IBM has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to Informix, spotlighting a bold roadmap that extends well beyond current version 15.
With Mark once again involved in the Informix world, we’re excited to leverage his insights into building updated certifications, community engagements, and technical leadership. His presence reinforces that IBM isn’t looking back, it’s accelerating forward, investing actively in people, technology, and ecosystem growth.
Please join us in welcoming Mark back as we work together to drive Informix forward into its next era of innovation and reliability.
Feel free to reach out to him on https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-jamison-53557610/
Anup Nair
IBM
Conference Corner
IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 – Orlando, FL, USA
October 6-9, 2025
Orlando, Florida USA
Summer Blockbuster Sale – 40% off
Discount is available August 8 – 15, 2025 ONLY!
Use code IIUG to take advantage of IBM’s discount when you purchase your full conference registration.
Feel free to share this email!
NOTE: You will be taken to the IBM sign in page to register for this event. You must have an IBM account to register for this event. There is a link on the page to create your IBM account.
Feel free to use one (or all) of these social media tiles to let others know you will be attending! Share your reasons for attending on your social media pages.
Invite colleagues to join us at IBM TechXchange 2025!
Don’t worry if you can’t register to receive the Summer Blockbuster discount, you could still receive an IIUG 30% Discount off your full conference purchase. You just need to register by August 31, 2025.
Use code IIUG at checkout
Hurry! Spots are limited. IBM is offering early access to Tuesday evening’s celebration at Universal Islands of Adventure to the first 1,000 people to register between June 18 and August 15 with a full conference purchase!
Other passes you can use to attend:
- Single Day Pass
- Community Day Pass – Monday, October 6
- Student Day Pass
- IBM Champions receive a complementary pass (you should have received an email from IBM with instructions)
NOTE: You will you will be taken to the IBM sign in page to register for this event. You must have an IBM account to register for this event. There is a link on the page to create your IBM account.
The following 13 Informix sessions have been selected for TechXchange 2025:
- Managing and Optimizing and IBM Informix Server using the Sysmaster Database – Lester Knutsen; Advanced DataTools Corporation
- Using HDR/RSS or ER for server and IDS version – Paul Watson; Onint
- Database Operations (DbOps) – Davorin Kremenjas; Sveucilisni racunski centar
- Externalize smartblob documents using new release of IBM Informix 15 – Vicente Salvador Cubedo; DEISTER, S.A.
- IDS 15.0 – Unlimited and Future Proof – John Lengyel; HCL
- Informix 4GL Futures – John Lengyel; HCL
- Upgrading versions and/or migrating platforms for your Informix Database – Joseph Veleeparambil; HCL
- Next-Gen Informix: Leveraging Cloud-Native Capabilities with Kubernetes and Containers – Kevin Mayfield; HCL
- All About Onconfig Parameters for Informix and PFSC (Partition Free Space Cache) Boost – John Lengyel; HCL
- Proactive Informix Administration – Mike Walker; xDB Systems
- Turn Your Informix Data in Data Products – Scott Norris; Actian
- Informix: Detecting and Avoiding Performance Issues Related to Storage and Multinode Systems – Vladimir Kolobrodov; HCL
- Informix Encryption Everywhere Everyway – Thomas Beebe; xDB Systems
The session schedule will be released soon.
Are you having problems convincing management to let you attend? Check out our reasons to attend flyer. You might find something there to help you!
We can’t wait to see you in Orlando!
#IIUG #IBMTechXchange #Informix
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Informix Corner
Upcoming: HCL Informix® Virtual User Day – Sept 11, 2025
If you’re working hands-on with HCL Informix®, don’t miss the HCL Informix Virtual User Day on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 8 AM PT | 11 AM ET | 5 PM CET.
This is a 2-hour developer- and DBA-focused session with practical content and direct access to the people behind Informix 15. Topics include:
- What’s changed in HCL Informix 15—performance, features, and roadmap
- Upgrade guidance and lessons learned from recent deployments
- Underused capabilities that can simplify dev and admin tasks
- How 4Js tools can help modernize HCL Informix-based applications
You’ll hear from core team members like:
- JC Lengyel – Chief Architect, Actian
- Scott Norris – Partner Sales Engineer, Actian
- Michael Folcher – Director, Professional Services, 4Js
There will be live chat Q&A throughout, with specialists available to answer technical, upgrade, and licensing questions.
» Register Now here – It’s free and built for people who use HCL Informix every day.
Informix is a trademark of IBM Corporation in at least one jurisdiction and is used under license.
Karen Qualley
HCL
InformixHQ 3.1.0 was released in July!
What’s New:
Administration
- Role Management: Enhanced to create, assign, and grant roles on the Manage Privileges page.
- Backup support: InformixHQ 3.1.0 supports automatic and manual backup of the H2DB.
- Database utilities support: InformixHQ 3.1.0 supports database utilities (dbimport, dbexport, and dbschema) through its user interface.
Ease of use
- PWA support: InformixHQ 3.1.0 supports Progressive Web App (PWA) installation for quick access and a seamless app-like experience.
- DBspace List Enhancement: Enhanced to support the physical dbspace type, with indication of critical dbspaces in the dbspaces list.
- Sensor Chart Enhancement: Sensor charts on the main page are now available for viewing in full-screen mode.
- InformixHQ server log enhancements: Enhanced to filter InformixHQ server logs by log level and server on the Monitoring Server Logs page, and also displays server ID and name in InformixHQ logs for better traceability.
- System Report Enhancement: Ensures consistent database filter selection and includes system catalog tables across all table reports on the System Reports page.
Ajay Satbhadre
HCL
Informix Tech Talks on YouTube
Upcoming Informix Tech Talks
Date: August 21, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM EST
Title: What’s New in InformixHQ 3.1.0
Speaker: Ajay Satbhadre, HCL
Join Ajay Satbhadre for an in-depth look at the latest features and enhancements in InformixHQ 3.1.0—the modern monitoring and administration tool for Informix databases. This session will cover new administration capabilities and improved ease-of-use enhancements designed to streamline your Informix experience.
Administration
- Role Management: Create, assign, and grant roles with enhanced privilege management.
- Backup Support: Automatic and manual backup of the H2DB for greater reliability.
- Database Utilities Integration: Run dbimport, dbexport, and dbschema directly from the InformixHQ interface.
Ease of Use
- PWA Support: Install InformixHQ as a Progressive Web App for quick, seamless access.
- DBspace List Enhancement: View physical dbspace types and critical dbspaces at a glance.
- Server Log Enhancements: Filter logs by level and server, with improved traceability.
Whether you’re an Informix administrator, developer, or enthusiast, this session will help you get the most out of InformixHQ 3.1.0. Don’t miss it!
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Last Informix Tech Talks Replay
Replay of the Last Informix Tech Talks: Introduction to Informix Enterprise Replication – Paul Watson, July 2025
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel
Our YouTube Channel now has:
- 562 subscribers (2 new subscribers)
- 114 videos (1 new video)
- 24,035 views (373 additional views)
Informix Tech Talks YouTube Channel Videos
Past Informix Tech Talks Replays
In Search of Tech Talks Speakers
We are looking for additional speakers and especially any new speakers to share your Informix knowledge with our user Community via the IIUG Tech Talks. We will assist you in preparing for your Tech Talks presentation by prerecording your session. This will allow you to be available to answer any questions that come up in the chat during you presentation.
If you are interested in producing a 15 – 45-minute presentation, please contact either Art Kagel or Bruce Simms for additional information.
Rhonda Hackenburg
IIUG Board
Informix Training
Free Informix Tutorials Videos – a step by step approach to using Informix Database Servers are available at https://advancedatatools.com/tech-info/informix-tutorials/
RFE Corner
IBM has an RFE – Request For Enhancements website.
Please visit the RFE site to vote for your favorite enhancements and place new requests. It is friendly and has a nice look and feel.
Recent
Compatibility of SDS_ALTERNATE and logged SBSPACE
Popular
Informix should be able to change owner on tables and any other objects (110 votes)
Backup Individual database, not entire instance (95 votes)
IBM Informix Forum Corner
Join and visit the IBM Informix Community Forum
Recent Posts:
Getting Perl module DBD::Informix off the ground
Informix CDC API – Is there a way to pull the change record using .NET?
Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Board
How To
In this corner I will write about things that can help in your day-to-day work.
Most DBAs probably have their own ways to perform these tasks which may be different than the way I do them. So, if you find an error or can think of a better way, please let me know. If not feel free to use these tips as is or modify them to fit your needs.
This is a stored procedure that can be used to check if a user has permission to perform a select operation. It can be easily modified to check other permissions. You can perform a select on all the tables and views involved in the query and catch the error. Or you can apply the following stored procedure on each table instead.
create function check_tab_auth(t_nm nvarchar(128), u_nm varchar(16))
returning boolean
define r_nm char(4);
define t_role nchar(32);
foreach
select b.grantee
into t_role
from systables a, systabauth b
where a.tabname = t_nm
and b.tabid = a.tabid
and b.tabauth[1] = 's'
if t_role = u_nm then
return 't';
end if
if (select count(*)
from sysroleauth a
where a.rolename = t_role
start with grantee = u_nm
connect by prior rolename = grantee) > 0 then
return 't';
end if
end foreach
return 'f';
end function; Gary Ben-Israel
IIUG Board
Informix Resources
IIUG Website
Not a member? Become an IIUG member and keep updated on all things Informix. It’s free.
IBM Informix Community
Not a member, join the IBM Informix community and connect with other Informix data experts.
Blogs
Art Kagel – https://informix-myview.blogspot.com/
Mary Schulte – ACTIAN https://www.actian.com/blog/databases/user-friendly-external-smartblobs-using-a-shadow-directory/
IBM Informix RFE
IBM Informix RFE – Informix Requests for Enhancements.
Technical Articles
Oninit Group
WAIUG (Washington Area Informix User Group) Tech Tips
Over 10 Years of Informix Webcast Replays
Over 30 Years of Informix Blog Posts
Social Media
| YouTube | X |
IIUG’s own Art Kagel was recently features on the Tech Sharmit Podcast to talk about his life and involvement with Informix and database systems.
Catch the podcast here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l81pLa7i-J0)
Forums, Groups, Videos, and Magazines
Informix Marketing channel on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/informixmarketing?feature=results_main
Closing and Credits
The International Informix Users Group (IIUG) is an organization designed to enhance communications between its worldwide user community and IBM. The IIUG’s membership database exceeds 25,000 entries and enjoys the support and commitment of IBM’s Information Management division. Key programs include local user groups and special interest groups, which we promote and assist from launch through growth.
Sources: IIUG Board of Directors
IBM Corp.
Editors: Gary Ben-Israel, Rhonda Hackenburg
For comments, please send an email to gary@iiug.org or rhonda@iiug.org